The Slow Roll: Despicable or Tactical?

Recently while I was in a casino, a player who knows I write for Card Player asked me a question. Now, since I've been writing, I've been asked lots of questions by players on a broad range of subjects, but in all honesty, I've never thought about the following subject until the question was posed to me. The player asked me a question I wasn't expecting: "What do you hate the most about poker?"

My mind started to race, as I wouldn't be able to provide one of my pat answers or opinions; this was a thought-provoking question. I thought of a number of things: Losing? No, everyone does that from time to time, some more often than others. Bad beats? No, they're also part of the game. Bankroll swings? No, most players must endure them, as well. Then, it hit me - like a ton of bricks: I hate being slow-rolled!

After I said it, I realized that this wasn't such a hard question for me to answer after all. I hate it! There, I've said it again.

The worst feeling you can experience in a game occurs when you turn over your cards at the showdown, everyone has losing looks on their faces, cards start to fly into the muck, you think you've won, and - boom - all of a sudden the very last person turns over a hand that beats yours.

What's even worse is when you show your hand, and the last person taps the table (a universal sign that you've got the best hand) and then turns his over, all the time knowing he has the winner. And even worse than that is when you show your hand and he says, "Good hand," then hesitates and says, "but not good enough."

Aaarrgggh! OK, now you're on tilt.

Then you hear things like, "Oops, I didn't see it." "Gee, I'm glad I turned my cards faceup. I thought I had you, but I wasn't sure." Wasn't sure? Your cards were faceup for 10 seconds for him to see.

I'm upset even as I'm writing this. I think I remember every guy who has done it to me. It puts me on absolute tilt.

That being said, a thought occurred to me (no comments please), and I realized that this needed further review. I referred to going on tilt. Then, I thought about some ideal playing conditions, one of which is playing with a guy who's on tilt.

Now, when I'm on tilt, I get up and take a break, but I'm disciplined. I've been doing it for years. I know my rules about playing: Never play when I'm tired; try not to play in a game that doesn't suit my skills; money management; and among other things, get up and take a walk if I'm on tilt.

I get up when I'm on tilt because my judgment is clouded; resentment and revenge are driving my play, which is a lethal combination for my bankroll. I want to slow-roll the guy right back, right now!

Examining things as I do, always trying to learn, I step back from this situation and ask, is revenge a good tactic? If playing with a person who's on tilt has long-term positive expected value, is it right to try to put him on tilt? Certainly, you won't make a friend that way, but after all, it's his money you're after, not his friendship.

This might be a good tactic to employ in a tournament. After all, if you get up after someone slow-rolls you, you've not only lost the pot, you're taking a walk, as well - which is a self-imposed penalty, if you will. Shouldn't it be the slow-roller who gets the penalty? The slow-roller always has an excuse, as I mentioned earlier, and is never penalized. But you are steamed, and most certainly are off your "A" game, even if it's only for a short while.

So, should your tournament strategy be to try to put someone on tilt by slow-rolling him - especially late in a tournament when he might get hot enough to say the "penalty" word? As an aside, I'm not a fan of the Tournament Directors Association's (TDA) rule No. 9 (turning over your hand when there's no further action and someone is all in), but when someone's all in, it certainly stops slow-rolling. However, slow-rolling can't be prevented when someone is not all in.

So, here is the quandary: Should you slow-roll someone every chance you get - is this a new strategy to employ - or do ethics rule it out completely? The answer is clear for me: You just shouldn't slow-roll someone. It isn't ethical, it isn't nice, and it isn't sportsmanlike. If slow-rolling me is all the skill you can muster, I'll find a way around it. I'll develop an anti-tilt strategy to the slow roll, but I won't become a slow-roller.

Is this the same answer for you? If not, I'd like to know your reasoning. E-mail me or stop me when you see me in a casino.